It's not about the destination, it's about the journey. You journey is to your death, preferably by high-powered plasma torpedo volleys, if the armada of aliens known as 'the nomads' are to be believed. The nomads have no homeworld, they don't believe it's time to 'settle down' as a species. They are still looking to find the right planet, and killing time (and aliens) in the meantime. It's nothing personal you understand, it's just the way the nomads entertain themselves. Galactic genocide is their sport of choice.

The Nomads is the latest expansion pack for Gratuitous Space Battles. The Nomads are the oldest race in the known universe. They are just travelling from A to B, (although nobody now remembers where A was, or what they are heading to B for), and looking for a little 'exploding aliens' sport on their journey. The nomads are travelling through your part of space, and your homeworlds destruction is this weeks entertainment for them.

What The Nomads Expansion Pack Contains:

10 New ships. 4 Cruisers 3 Frigates and 3 fighters, all in a new graphical style by the same artist who did the original GSB artwork. The nomad ships are influenced by retro cars, planes and the art-deco feel of 'the retro future', with a strong 1960s rocketship vibe. They also contain a number of cannibalized (or stolen) ship parts taken from the remnants of other GSB races they have beaten in battle. The Nomads are the first GSB race to have no single unifying color.

5 New ship modules: The nomads have an eclectic mix of additional ship modules. Nomadic dogfighter lasers are fast-tracking (but low damage) lasers for fighters, designed for anti-fighter combat. They also have armored powerplants and faster engines for frigates, and cruisers get volley-firing laser beams and long range fast missile launchers.

New ship bonuses. The nomad ships are slightly larger than normal, and they have speed bonuses. These ships have been travelling across the galaxies for millenia, and those guys know how to build engines.

What The Pack does NOT contain:

Completely new gameplay modes, and major features that change how the game plays, any new AI orders... basically anything that is not listed in the list above. This is basically a data-pack with new ships, not a sequel or gameplay re-write.

How does this work with challenges and stuff?

If you install the expansion pack, then in future when you post challenges the game will have a little ticked checkbox which tags your challenge as having content from the nomads. That means only people with the expansion pack can play that challenge. If you aren't using any nomads ships in your fleet, you can un-tick that box and the challenge will work just as before. You will be able to download and play existing challenges with your nomads fleet no problem.

I bought the game from X, do I need to get the expansion pack from that site too?

No. It won't make any difference.

You are an evil media conglomerate and a greedy capitalist for releasing an expansion pack etc.

Unfortunately my landlord and the people who sell me food all demand I pay them in something other than GSB expansion packs (the fools!) so I have to exchange the packs for money. Plus I have to pay the artist and feed these cats.